


Valiant

by jvnsen



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood-centric, Deaf Alec, Deaf Character, M/M, POV Magnus Bane, Retelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:00:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9536987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jvnsen/pseuds/jvnsen
Summary: A retelling in which everything is more or less the same in the Shadowhunter world, except that Alec Lightwood is deaf.





	

When Magnus first lays his eyes on him, he’s - well, he’s enamored. 

Magnus watches as the Shadowhunter goes to make sure the assassin he just shot with a well-aimed arrow won’t be getting back up, a casual sort of confidence in his walk as though he already knows that he wouldn’t have missed.

“Who _are_ you?”

\--  


Later that night, somehow Valentine and his circle get through his wards, and then the group of Shadowhunters shows up again to get in the middle of it all, but he can’t even be annoyed that his home is now a complete mess when it means he finally gets to properly introduce himself to the handsome Shadowhunter he saw at the club.

“I’m Magnus. I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.”

Magnus watches the Shadowhunters eyes, notices that his gaze falls to Magnus’ lips while he talks, and smirks. Well, at least Magnus knows that the feeling is mutual.

“Alec.”

“Well, Alec, we should probably join the party.”

\--

As soon as they rejoin everyone, Magnus also ends up having to relocate them entirely. As the location of his home has been discovered, he uses his magic to quickly move them all, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t showing off just a little bit.

“Much better. Ugh, it’s inevitable. After each move, I get the itch to redecorate.” He swings his gaze to Alec, looking at him pointedly. “Normally, I love a dirty lair, but this one’s just sloppy.”

Alec gives him an odd look, eyes squinting before walking over to Jace. Magnus’ ego would be hurt, maybe, if he wasn’t a powerful, three-hundred-year-old Warlock.

He turns to Isabelle, “I believe in payment for services rendered. Thank you for defending the Warlocks.” Magnus holds up his necklace, the necklace the Shadowhunters had found for him in the first place.

“I couldn’t.”

“Oh, but you could and you should. The Lightwoods have been wearing this for years.” Magnus fastens the necklace around her neck, before adding, “Besides, this would look silly on your brother. About Alec, is he more of a flower or cologne man?”

Suddenly, Clary interrupts their conversation, reminding them that, yes, they’re there for a reason - getting Clary’s memories back.

When Clary agrees to summon the memory demon, despite the dangers, he says at large without glancing in Alec’s direction, “Okay. Pretty boy, get your team ready.”

Jace, of course, is the one who speaks up. “You know what to do.”

Magnus rolls his eyes and puts a hand on Jace’s chest to stop him. “I’m not talking to you.” He points his finger at Alec, and says, “I’m talking to you.”

Alec, again, has a look of confusion on his face. He watches as Alec glances at Jace, and then Jace’s hands go up in a flurry of movement. Alec’s eyebrows furrow before he _signs_ something back to Jace.

Signs. Oh.

Magnus had never thought of himself as oblivious, but maybe he needs to rethink that.

\--

Magnus goes to instruct Clary on just how to summon the memory demon, giving her what she needs to draw the pentagram.

When she’s finished, he looks down at it, impressed. “Jocelyn was right. Your artistry is beyond compare.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Oh, the only other person I’ve known who could draw as well was Michelangelo.” He cranes his head to look at Alec. “Who was excellent in bed, might I add.”

Jace’s head whips around to stare at Alec, and Alec shrugs at him in return, a blush rising up on his cheeks - either, Magnus guesses, because Alec understood him or just because of the attention Magnus is giving him.

As Magnus is giving the instructions to the group, he sees Isabelle, who took the spot directly across from Alec on the pentagram, signing to Alec what Magnus is telling them.

When the summoning begins and they each have to relinquish a memory of the one they love most as payment, Alec’s memory is of Jace, smiling at Alec.

Alec looks … He looks terrified, and for a short moment, Magnus doesn’t understand, until he does.

Magnus knows what Alec is going to do before it happens, and he tries to stop it, yelling, fruitlessly, “Do not break the bond!”

Suddenly Alec is letting go of both his and Jace’s hands, breaking the bond that is holding in the demon, and they all go flying backward.

Magnus tries containing the demon, using all of his strength. He sees Alec get up and run toward the demon, and Magnus watches, helpless, as Alec is about to sacrifice himself before Jace jumps in the way and pushes Alec back.

Jace is trapped by the demon, Isabelle and Alec trying desperately to hold onto him, and Magnus trying his best to keep the demon from taking him completely before Clary draws her sword and kills the demon. 

Jace collapses to the floor, and Magnus watches as Alec’s hands hover over Jace, almost touching but not quite. Alec’s voice is desperate, “Jace. Jace, please.”

Jace wakes up, gasping, and Alec quietly leaves the room as everyone’s attention is on Jace.

Magnus follows him into the other room, stopping in front of Alec. For once, he’s at a loss of what exactly to say.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t … I hadn’t realized you were deaf.”

Alec is suddenly glaring at him. “Is that supposed to change anything?”

“No! No. I just don’t know if you were able to .. uh, understand, what I was saying before. I mean… Okay, scratch everything I just said. I’m afraid I don’t know much sign language, despite my age and life experience.”

At this point, Alec just looks exasperated. Alec looks around the room until he appears to find what he is looking for, and grabs a pen and notebook and scribbles something down before coming back over to Magnus.

_I can lip read pretty well, but it’s still difficult to catch everything you’re saying._

Magnus grabs the pen from him, writing down, _Of course. I suppose I need to work on my sign language for next time I see you._ He shows it to Alec with a smirk, before writing something else down.

_Back there, with the memory demon. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Alec._

All of a sudden, Alec’s face completely shuts down, emotionless. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alec is already walking away from him, but Magnus still says quietly, “You will.”

 


End file.
